


Bal Chatri

by redtailedhawk90



Series: There Is Nothing To Blame On The Mirror [1]
Category: The Room Where It Happened (Podcast)
Genre: Drabble, M/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2018-07-27
Packaged: 2019-06-17 06:25:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15455304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redtailedhawk90/pseuds/redtailedhawk90
Summary: /bɑːl tʃʌθri/NounA traditional trap designed to catch birds of prey.  This is one of the safest and simplest traps available. It is a small cage for bait keeping them separate from an attacking bird, then small monofilament nooses over the top that will ensnare the toes.Tseer got a promotion!  Today is his first day on the job guarding Wyatt Vancroft.  This definitely won't go horribly wrong!





	Bal Chatri

Tseer bounced his foot against the floor of the limo.  Had he been aware that he was doing it, he would have stopped immediately.  It was terribly unprofessional--a nervous disposition wasn’t exactly a desired quality in a bodyguard.  But Wyatt never looked up from the papers he was perusing, and so Tseer continued to unknowingly funnel his anxiety down his leg and out through his talons.

Wyatt Vancroft, the golden boy of the Ki-Rin Collective, was easily the most important person Tseer had ever been around.  His loafers alone probably cost more than Tseer would make in a year, and the decisions he made on a daily basis affected the whole of the sprawling city-state of Luume.  When Tseer was first hired by the Ki-Rin, he imagined he might be watching over shipments, or laboratories, or even some lower-level management offices. But this? This was way, way above his pay grade.

His parents were going to be so happy for him when he told them.

Still, it was strange that Tseer had been chosen for this position.  He couldn’t help but wonder if it was somehow connected to the events of the weekend.  What had first seemed like a simple job to recover some stolen property had somehow spiraled out of control.  They got in and out of Jimmy’s warehouse easily enough, although the samurai halfling had nearly killed Seshmir.  It was only after they got back to Orron’s bar and tried to call their employer that things went horribly wrong. Tseer could still feel the remnants of the rock that formed in his gut as they called Reginald through the key he had given them, and were met only with the sounds of a vicious struggle.  The rain and the time of night meant that they’d had to run through the city to get to his apartment, and of course it had been too late. Reginald was dead, and his attacker left no clues as to their identity. 

It seemed preposterous that someone in Ki-Rin had taken note of Tseer’s weekend adventure and promoted him for it.  It was entirely more likely to have been luck of the draw, or maybe the captain of the guard had seen something in him and his work over the last several weeks that had impressed him.  But there was something about Luume and the overbearing presence of the guilds that made him wary. It was hard not to feel watched, like a mouse in a field.

The limo came to a stop alongside an open plaza.  Tseer got out first, scanning the surroundings for threats.  He didn’t know why Wyatt was making an appearance at this Keeper function, but it also wasn’t his job to ask questions.  A crowd of new Keeper initiates stood in an ordered semicircle, fanned out around a small stage. An official-looking man in dark clothing spoke from behind a podium, gesturing at those assembled.  

“It is you all who are the lifeblood of the Keepers--”

They were on the Keeper campus.  The Indeliophan, the mega-church devoted to all eleven gods in the pantheon, rose up gleaming white and imposing behind the stage, dwarfing the buildings to the left and right.  Across from the megachurch, a main thoroughfare separated the plaza from a suite of tall office buildings.

“--and we welcome your dedication and service as you graduate and join our ranks.”

The limo was parked behind a line of barriers to stage left, far enough away from the crowd that few, if any, of the attendants even looked their way, although passersby on the street were beginning to stop and watch the new arrival.  A limo meant a guild head was attending, and that was the kind of thing that could fuel gossip for weeks in Luume. A few Ki-Rin guards formed a line to keep anyone from coming closer. The rest of Wyatt’s retinue had already spread out through the plaza, a protective net which could stop an attack no matter whence it came.  

“And now, it is my pleasure to welcome Tessa Blackmoor.”

Tseer turned his head back to look at the stage in surprise just as Tessa, her armor freshly polished, took the podium.  Of course. It made sense that the Poster Child of the Keepers would speak at a graduation. Satisfied that the area was secure, Tseer ducked down to motion Wyatt to come out.  Was he imagining his new boss rolling his eyes?

Wyatt stepped from the limo, tucking a stray lock of brown hair back into place where it had fallen from his topknot.  He moved with easy confidence, barely sparing a glance for the people around him as he walked along the line of the barricade towards the side of the stage, and Tseer fell into step just ahead of him.

“The Raven Queen teaches us that death comes for everyone,” Tessa began, and that’s when Tseer heard it.

A  _ fwip _ .  And then, a faint whistling, growing louder.

He acted on instinct, grabbing the front of Wyatt’s shirt with his right hand as he pivoted. He pulled him behind the shield of his own body, extending his wings to cover as much as he could.  The projectile--a thin, metal spear--grazed his arm as he knocked it out of the way

“Go!  Move!” he shouted as he pushed Wyatt sideways, through the barricade, and into the crowd.  He could feel his talons putting holes in the other man’s too-expensive shirt, as he kept him pressed down behind him.  There was a flash from the window of one of the office buildings across the way, and another spear hurtled towards them.  Some of the initiates made sounds of protest as Tseer pushed his boss through them. They hadn’t yet realized what was happening, although some of the other Ki-Rin guards were running towards Tseer.  Tessa was still speaking. 

“We, the Keepers, guard the veil between life and death--”

Tseer zigged to the right and the spear flew over the head of someone in the crowd to thud into the cobblestones where he had been moments before.  Someone screamed. The initiates ballooned out away from Tseer, pushing against each other to get out of the way. Some of them drew swords or maces, but there wasn’t anything to fight.

Tseer kept his eyes on the office building the last spear had come from, and this time saw clearly the flash in one of the open windows on the third floor.  It wasn’t a reflection off a weapon like he initially thought, but a bloom of actual light. Magic. The metallic spear flew from the window directly at Tseer, but one of the Keeper initiates stepped in front of him, blocking his view.  He was young, younger even than Tseer was, with fair hair. His brows were drawn down as he opened his mouth to ask what was going on.

Tseer wanted to tell him to get out of the way.  He wanted to grab him by the collar and push him back.  But his talons were still in Wyatt’s shirt.

He was the only one who could get Wyatt to safety.

Tseer kept pushing Wyatt back.

The spear erupted from the center of the initiate’s stomach and lodged itself in the ground, pinning him.  The kid screamed.

Tseer felt a hand on his shoulder, and spared a glance backwards as he zagged them in another direction, narrowly avoiding another spear.  

“Where are they coming from?” Wyatt asked.  Heat was coming off of him in waves. A bead of fire, like a tear but orange and red and with more indefinite edges, rolled out of his eyes as Tseer gestured to the office building.  Wyatt lifted his hand off of Tseer’s shoulder and pointed as there was another flash, and another spear shot towards them.

A glistening red dot appeared at the end of Wyatt’s finger and sped off with a brief  _ tsst _ .  Tseer watched as it passed the spear in the air and then entered the window of the office building.  There was an explosion. A hush fell over the plaza, punctuated only by the kid’s screams, and then everyone started shouting again.  Tseer moved himself and Wyatt out of the way of the final spear and paused, pinning Wyatt behind him. Finally, when he was satisfied that their attacker was truly dead, he turned around to face his boss and untangled his hand from the remaining shreds of Wyatt’s shirt.  He could see blood where he had inadvertently scratched his chest.

Tseer and the other guards got Wyatt back to his limo without further incident.  Wyatt had waved off the clerics who tried to heal the scratches Tseer had left on his chest.  He seemed totally unconcerned by them or by his ruined shirt, and had gotten a key out to call his secretary before he had even reached the limo.  

“I would be very surprised if Elder Tower had the balls to attack us at something like this,” he said into the key as he ducked into the limo.  “The Keepers are neutral ground. Look into our friends at the Sands instead…”

Tseer stopped listening and folded himself into the seat by the door, watching through the window as clerics rushed to the speared kid’s aide.  

Had Tseer made the decision to leave the kid behind before the spear hit him, or after?  He played the moment back and forth in his head. He had seen the spear appear, had seen the kid step in between it and himself, and then…  

He could have done something.  It would have been easy. 

“I think I’ll tell Ironside to assign you to me permanently,” said Wyatt, putting away the key and addressing Tseer for the first time as the limo began to pull away from the plaza.

Had he made the decision before, or after?

“Thank you, sir,” said Tseer.

“I want someone who is quick on their feet,” continued Wyatt.  “And you showed that today.”

“I was just doing my job, sir,” said Tseer.


End file.
